As he prepared a nasty response to some nonsense, Steve heard the Voice.
Don’t let demons run your mouth for you.
“Yeah, but the level of this nonsense is really nonsensical,” Steve thought so only the Voice could hear him.
You were worse than he is now a few years ago.
“Yeah, but this guy really annoys me,” Steve thought.
When Steve’s heart remembered that, indeed, he was worse, he smiled and then laughed and then, because kindness is a blessing even the nonsensical understand, there were soon two mouths laughing.
When times were peaceful, he harvested peace. When times were less than peaceful, he sowed the choicest seeds of peace he had hoping for a hundred-fold harvest. When times were joyful he laughed with gratitude. Indeed, some thought he laughed too much, because—face it—nothing was all that good.
When all hell broke loose, as most everyone believed it would sooner or later, Steve didn’t notice.
______
Denise offers the prompt word “tonic” to be used in this week’s Six Sentence Stories.
As Bret walked to the beach to photograph the sunrise he saw the moon near the horizon and imagined the sun’s approach for the upcoming solar eclipse. His interests had less to do with astronomy, which he knew little about, than the flowing colors of the dawns and dusks across the sky.
As sea birds and tourists came to watch the sun rise seemingly right out of the core of the ocean, Bret saw a very young woman approach along the water’s edge from the south and a very young man come from the north. He figured they would pass each other by, but they stopped and hugged lingering almost directly in front of him.
Not wanting to photograph their display of affection Bret moved a few feet to the side to give his camera a people-free view of the horizon. Just before the sun rose, and likely oblivious to it, they walked on the wave caressed beach to the north while the sun rose from beyond the curve of the earth to brighten his day as it darkened the other side thousands of miles below him with night.
______
Denise offers the prompt word “core” to be used in this week’s Six Sentence Story.
The moon approaching the sun still beneath the horizon setting themselves up for the new moon which would look like an eclipse to those in its shadow
Neither my brother, Stephen, nor I liked Miss Walters, his old 3rd grade teacher at St. Joseph’s and my new one this year. No one liked the lady not even Mom and Dad who talked about her after they thought we went to sleep.
When Stephen walked up to Communion last Sunday behind Miss Walters and in front of us, he heard Jesus tell him that He loved the way Miss Walters’ heart moves when she sings, whatever that meant. Then Stephen whispered to me back in our pew that he and I had to give that message to Miss Walters because she wouldn’t believe anyone else.
I was hoping we might wait until next Sunday, but Stephen rushed me through the outlet of our pew to hers after Mass and quickly said, “Miss Walters, Jesus told us to tell you that He loves the way your heart moves when you sing.”
Miss Walters looked at us and then her eyes filled with tears and then Stephen’s eyes filled with tears and then Mom and Dad were there and then their eyes filled with tears when they heard the whole story (which I still don’t know) and then we all hugged and then I felt my own heart move and then I felt Miss Walters wipe away my tears.
______
Denise offers the prompt word “outlet” to be used in this week’s Six Sentence Stories.
Song of Solomon 5:8 I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, if ye find my beloved, that ye tell him, that I am sick of love.
George picked up the couple near the entrance to the interstate knowing there would not likely be many cars going north at this hour of the evening. Clearly, the woman was pregnant, but when he found out they needed to go a hundred miles out of his way, George hesitated, but it was getting darker and she was pregnant.
Over two hours later George dropped them off at their apartment in a small town in the timberlands of Maine. As George started his truck to leave noting the fuel gauge with confidence that he had enough gas to return and getting ready to slide back into his normal routine that had been going nowhere, the man offered him the only thing he had besides his thanks: “May the Lord bless you.”
Decades later when George and his wife were hosting an Easter dinner with their children’s families and their children’s children’s families including their new great granddaughter, he remembered that young couple and told all of them the story.
When George said, “Their child would be more than sixty years old by now,” he realized, with the love of his family all around him, that, indeed, he had received over all those years blessing upon blessing with overflows of blessings to share.
______
Denise offers the prompt word “slide” to be used in this week’s Six Sentence Stories.
Matthew 25:40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
Anticipating the eventual manifestation of his healing Sam began singing a happy song which he made up as he went along mainly repeating the words, “Hallelujah”, “Thank you, Jesus” and “I am healed” over and over and over again.
Sensing an opportunity to get a word in edgewise and expecting Sam to know the difference between the play money of an “eventual manifestation of healing” and an actual testimony one could take to the bank, the devil said, “You’re not.”
When Sam’s wife heard him suddenly stop singing, she asked, “Did the devil say you weren’t healed?”
“Yes.”
“That devil’s a doofus.”
HA ha ha ha—HA ha ha—HA ha ha ha—HA ha ha—which offended their high maintenance devil so much that it threatened to leave and when it finally did even the bankers recognized Sam’s testimony as golden.
______
Denise offers the prompt word “bank” to be used in this week’s Six Sentence Stories.
While on vacation Willard and Matilda visited a notorious, but remote, congregation their pastor warned held services “too indecent for decent worship” so they could report back a few good words of condemnation against them.
With the service having gone on for hours and with no end in sight, Matilda told Willard, “Tell that girl behind us to stop giggling so much so I can hear the heresies the preacher is preaching.”
Willard said that for the past God knows how long the preacher hasn’t said anything worth noting but merely wandered up and down the rows of people touching some, here and there, who’d fall back laughing like idiots too dumb to stop.
“I have a mind to give him a piece of my mind before it’s too late,” Matilda said.
Willard wanted to say something, perhaps that it might already be too late, as Matilda, with eyes and mouth wide open, watched her husband giggle uncontrollably. Then, sensing the heavy ashes of mourning she didn’t know she was carrying transform into beautiful garments of praise, she herself began to laugh with tears flowing down her cheeks grateful that even she was loved enough to be anointed with the oil of gladness.
______
Denise offers the prompt word “remote” to be used in this week’s Six Sentence Stories.
Isaiah 61: “…beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning…”
Although Jairus knew that Jesus had healing power, as a ruler of the synagogue he didn’t want to expose his belief by playing the only real ace in his hand until it became clear that his beloved twelve-year-old daughter would likely die that very day if he did not. At his request Jesus followed Jairus to his house, but on the way a woman with a twelve-year issue of blood which no physician could cure crept close enough to Jesus to just touch the border of His robe without being noticed. Jesus stopped, asked who touched Him and after the woman revealed herself He told her that her faith had healed her.
While Jairus waited impatiently for this testimony of the woman to be over, people from his house told him what he feared that his daughter had died, but Jesus told him to only believe and she would be made whole.
At the house Jesus allowed Peter, James, John, Jairus and his wife to go in with Him where the child lay. Then Jesus said, “Maid, arise.”
Luke 8:41-56 KJV 41 And, behold, there came a man named Jairus, and he was a ruler of the synagogue: and he fell down at Jesus’ feet, and besought him that he would come into his house: 42 For he had one only daughter, about twelve years of age, and she lay a dying. But as he went the people thronged him. 43 And a woman having an issue of blood twelve years, which had spent all her living upon physicians, neither could be healed of any, 44 Came behind [him], and touched the border of his garment: and immediately her issue of blood stanched. 45 And Jesus said, Who touched me? When all denied, Peter and they that were with him said, Master, the multitude throng thee and press [thee], and sayest thou, Who touched me? 46 And Jesus said, Somebody hath touched me: for I perceive that virtue is gone out of me. 47 And when the woman saw that she was not hid, she came trembling, and falling down before him, she declared unto him before all the people for what cause she had touched him, and how she was healed immediately. 48 And he said unto her, Daughter, be of good comfort: thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace. 49 While he yet spake, there cometh one from the ruler of the synagogue’s [house], saying to him, Thy daughter is dead; trouble not the Master. 50 But when Jesus heard [it], he answered him, saying, Fear not: believe only, and she shall be made whole. 51 And when he came into the house, he suffered no man to go in, save Peter, and James, and John, and the father and the mother of the maiden. 52 And all wept, and bewailed her: but he said, Weep not; she is not dead, but sleepeth. 53 And they laughed him to scorn, knowing that she was dead. 54 And he put them all out, and took her by the hand, and called, saying, Maid, arise. 55 And her spirit came again, and she arose straightway: and he commanded to give her meat. 56 And her parents were astonished: but he charged them that they should tell no man what was done.
Although Sam’s wife was ready with cough drops, apple cider vinegar and honey she was getting annoyed with his colds. After they rebuked any spirits of infirmity, she opened an audio Bible on her phone, selected the Book of Psalms and set them to play continuously throughout the night.
Sam would pop out of dreams to hear a psalm he was familiar with and then seemingly moments later one he didn’t remember hearing before. The cooling perspiration on his chest in the morning made him realize: he was healed!
The demons who tried to nail him down and make him useless couldn’t get a moment’s worth of peace with those psalms playing. However, considering their defeat at the battle of the Resurrection, those psalms were better than what they’d have to face when the end finally came.
______
Denise offers the prompt word “nail” to be used in this week’s Six Sentence Stories.
Poetry, Short Prose and Walking 